Sen. Pat Roberts promised Kansas farmers Wednesday he would dig his boot heel into formation of a new five-year farm bill covering crop insurance, production incentives and nutrition programs.

The Kansas Republican, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said during a Topeka meeting of the Kansas Soybean Association that decline in the number of farmers in the U.S. House and Senate weakened the political coalition that traditionally gave rise to federal farm legislation.

"I have member after member after member say, 'Agriculture? Let's cut it.' It's going to be tough sledding, folks," Roberts said.

Instead of adopting an updated platform for agriculture-related federal programs, the "fiscal cliff" bill approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama left in place the 2008 bill with some modification. The Senate's version of a new farm bill, which would have reduced spending by $23 billion, was blocked by the House. The default action was to extend the old law through September.

"We didn't have any responsible solution except to extend that bill with the opposition we faced in the House. It wasn't the best possible bill. It was the only bill possible," Roberts said.

He said retention of the old farm bill could serve the interests of some Kansas farmers suffering from a third year of drought because direct payments would be available. These producers will be eligible for relief without passage of a separate disaster aid bill, he said.

Roberts said a $5 million exemption to the federal estate tax was left intact, rather than fall to $1 million. The tax rate above the exemption will climb to 40 percent from 35 percent. It had been scheduled to move to 55 percent.

"We ought to get rid of the doggone thing. Just get rid of the estate tax and we'd be far better off in America," he said.

Roberts was bumped from his position as ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, but will remain on the panel. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., was dropped from the House Agriculture Committee after he declined to vote with the House Speaker John Boehner on several bills.

"I had hoped that Congressman Huelskamp would remain on the committee," Roberts said. "That was my advice to the leadership of the House. The speaker wanted to go in a different direction, and he did."

This is the first time in more than 100 years Kansas hasn't had a representative on the House Agriculture Committee.